Strathmore shares some very good videos on youtube. This video is worth watching as it is more than the usual ‘just add water’ advice. Sarah Becktel demonstrates using watercolor pencils and shares some useful techniques and tips.

I particularly liked the idea of creating a paper palette from swatches. Not only would it be handy to carry around when sketching outside but if you used it constantly you would really know how each pencil colour behaved.

One of the things about urban sketching that you discover aspects of your home city that you are not aware of. Yesterday the Canberra Sketchers got together in Lonsdale Street, Braddon as there are lots of popup food vans.

I know for foodies that mobile street vendors are all the rage, but I was not aware that Canberra had such a vibrant street life with vendors offering gourmet and ethnic food treats.

Anyway although parking was difficult to find, the sun was out, people were everywhere, and we all had a lovely time sketching before sampling some of their offerings for lunch!

Back in January I wrote how Jerry was making a new violin. when he finished it I decided to sketch it (of course). This is the first sketch of the new violin in our house. This is also a EDM challenge sketch #17 which reads Draw a musical instrument

Then the following day I decided to make a page spread to celebrate that he had actually finished building it. I think it’s sort of magic how someone can make a musical instrument.

I am still working in my hand bound journal and some of the paper is smooth for writing but I wanted an interesting surface to sketch on as I wanted to capture a little more of the feel of the instrument. I tore up some old sheet music and used Gesso to glue it to the pages. I then used watercolour paints, inktense pencils, artist pitt pens, and colour pencils to draw the violin.

I thought I would share some of the process and the finished page spread. Click on the images to see larger versions.

If you want to hear it Jerry made a youtube video to share with some facebook mates. You can view and hear it below.

I sketched this beetle a while back and forgot to share it. If you look carefully the real beetle is sitting in the fold of my journal.

In Australia these beetles are called Christmas beetles because they appear in early summer. As children we loved them as they alway arrive just before Christmas. Even though they are scratchy to hold, I often kept a beetle or two in my pocket and held them in my hands hidden under my school desk, daydreaming about the summer come while the teacher droned on in the early summer heat.

Towards the end of summer and the end of summer holidays the beetles start to die. this always was very sad to me. I found this dead beetle one on my morning walk and took it home to draw. As you can see I needed a magnifier to draw it.

I sketched it using artist pitt pens, watercolour paint, and pencil on a page that I covered in clear gesso as the paper was very smooth. It is page from my hand bound journal

This is EDM drawing challenge number 326 which reads Draw something you can keep in your pocket. Here is the full EDM List